Prospect Talent Score

Probability of Success

History

2005-06: Gauthier capped an excellent career at the University of Denver with 39 points (15 goals, 24 assists) playing in 38 games in his final year. He finished tied for second on the team in power play goals with nine. Gauthier, along with defenseman Matt Carle (SJ) served as captains of the Pioneers team that finished with a 21-15-3 record this season. On team that lost a lot of veteran leadership in the summer of 2005, Gauthier was a stabilizing presence up front for the University of Denver. At season’s end, Gauthier took home three team awards, being named the recipient of the Pioneers’ Players Bench “Star of the Year”, the Dr. Ralph Verploeg Award as the team’s Most Inspirational Player and the Bob Martin Award for Community Service.

Gauthier finishes his four-year career with the University of Denver ranked 16th all time in school history in scoring with 155 points (67 goals, 88 assists) playing in 164 games and helping to guide the Pioneers to back-to-back national championships in 2004 and 2005. His 31 career power play goals and 164 career games played both rank second all time.

2006-07: Scored 42 points in 69 games for the Monarchs, good for third on the team in scoring. Gauthier was called up to Los Angeles towards the middle of the season as the Kings started looking for consistency from any source. In his first 5 career HL games, Gauthier registered onyl two penalty minutes in very limited playing time.
2007-08: Combined on a line with Ted Purcell and Matt Moulson in Manchester, Gauthier continued to push his scoring totals forward, this time with 60 points in 61 games. His offensive play was enough to force a call-up with Los Angeles early in the season. He would only appear in three games with the Kings, but he has placed his name in the group of Manchester forwards that can compete for playing time in Los Angeles in the coming years.

Talent Analysis

Gauthier is small, tough centerman. He is fiercely competitive and while he doesn’t shy away from the physical aspects of the game, he isn’t what some would consider as overly physical. In his four years at the University of Denver, Gauthier became one of the Pioneers best face-off players. He is a powerful skater with some speed who moves quite well with the puck. Gauthier was noted for his offensive prowess at the University of Denver. He possesses a hard, accurate shot to go along with a quick release. One attribute that makes Gauthier such a great offensive player is his ability to finding shooting lanes and being able to get shots through to the net. He is superb in high traffic areas and has shown a willingness to take the punishment in front of the opposition’s net to make or finish plays as well as wreak havoc for opposing goaltenders. Gauthier’s strength and tenacity makes the task of containing him quite difficult for opposing defenders. He is very good defensively and is aggressive on the forecheck. He also works and competes hard.

Future

Gauthier is likely to return to Manchester for his third season in the AHL. Gauthier is another undersized forward which the Kings have been noted for in recent years (Clarke, James, Ryan) and likely will provide depth to Manchester rather than being a legitimate option at the NHL level. Can be used in an injury call-up situation for the Kings as he has been used in the prior two seasons. Gauthier will have an opportunity to battle for a spot on the fourth line in Los Angeles during training camp, but will have to overcome several other prospect forwards all vying for the same position.